Window-regulating mechanism



Nov. 3, 92 A R CLAS 1,560,214

WINDOW REGULATING MECHANI SM Filed Sept. 5, 1924 Patented Nov. 3. 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANGELO ROBERT CLAS, or ToLnDo, OHIO, ASSIGNOR o THE ToLEno AUTOMOTIVEPRODUCTS COMPANY, A CORPORATION or 01110.

WINDOW-REGULATING MECHANISM.

Application filed September 5, 1924. Serial No. 736,014.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANGELO ROBERT CLAs, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State a is to soconstruct the interconnecting means that it may be cheaply made andeasily assembled, and when assembled will rigidly hold the parts inposition and afford a large bearing areafor the member in its support.Thus the invention provides an exceedingly eflicient construction thatmay be made at a very low cost of production, since it provides a meanswhereby the construction may be made by automatic machinery, dies,presses, and the like, and may be readily assembled by the use of cheaplabor.

The invention may be contained in structures of difierent forms and forthe purpose of illustrating a practical application of the invention, Ihave selected a preferred embodiment of the invention as an example ofsuch structures and shall describe it hereinafter. The structureselected is shown in the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 of the drawings illustrates a side view of a member used inraising and lowering a window of the type commonly found inclosedautomobiles. Figure 2 is a view of a section taken on the line 2-2indicated in Fig. 1. Figure 3 is a perspective ,view of dis-assembledparts of the means for pivotally supporting the member and for connect-'ing the member to a coun terbala-ncingspring. Figure 4 illustrates thecounterbalancing spring in position for counterbalancing the member.Figurevo is a view of a section taken on the line 5-5 indicated in Fig.2, the spring being omitted. The view in Fig. 5 is somewhat enlarged ascompared to the View shown inFig. 4.

Fig.1 illustrates but fragmentary parts lVindow-Regulating of themembers of the construction with which the window regulating mechanismcoacts and to which it is connected to perform the functions for whichit is designed. The particular window regulating mechanism illustratedin the drawings comprises a gear segment 1 that may be oscillated by therotation of any suitable pinion. The segment 1 is provided with an arm 2that is carried about the pivot of the segment 1 by the movement of thesegment. The outer end of the arm 2 is connected by any suitable meansto the window 3, which is to be raised and lowered. The window 3 isprovided wih a bar 4 that covers the lower edge por-. tron of the window3 in thesmanner well force used to raise and lower the window andsustain the window in any position in which it is placed, is transmittedthrough a I unitary oscillatory structure comprising the gear segment 1and the arm 2, and that the pivotally supported means must beexceedingly rigid and durable in order to produce an efiicient windowraising and lowering mechanism.

The gear segment 1 is pivotally connected to its support so as to afiorda large bearing area for the oscillatory movements of the gear segmentand a stud is provided for in terconnecting the oscillatable part withthe counter-balancing spring that, notwithstanding the magnification ofthe force of the load produced by the length of the arm asmeasured'between the point of contact of the roller 5 with the window tothe center of the stud, will sustain the window although the stud ischeaply made and readily assembled. It is exceedingly rugged and willwithstand the severity of the strains to the segment 1. The segment 1may e suported by a sheet metal depending member having a raised-centralportion 8, the width of the raised central portion 8 being preferably asgreat as the diameter of the depressed circular portion 6. Thus thedepressed circular portion 6 has bearing contact with the raised centralportion 8 of the cylindrical portion 11 may be inserted in.-

the opening 9 and the surfaces of the flange 10 ,and the depressedcylindrical portion 11 will afl'ord relatively rotating bearingsurfaces. A disc 12 may be located on the cylindrical depressed portion11 and so as to extend over the edges of the flanges 10. The disc 12 issecured to the depressed portion 11 so that the edge of the flange 10will be engaged by the peripheral portion of the disc 12. Thus thesegment 1 will be securely held in position for oscillative movementsabout its axis.

The weight of the window is counterbalanced by a convolute spring 13which is connected to the segment 1 and to the supporting member 7. Inorder to connect the spring 13 so that it will sustain the weight of thewindow which is transmitted through the arm 2, and at the same timesecure the bearing surfaces of the segment and the supporting member 7rigidly in their relative positions for rotatably supporting the segment1, a stud 1 1 is secured to the seg' ment 1 and the spring 13 isconnected to the stud 14*.- The stud 14 is formed of sheet metal. It ismade in the form of a thimble having slots 15 on opposite sides thereof.through which an end portion of the spring 13 extends, and when thespring 13 is placed under tension, its end portion vill be located inthe stud 14. The other end of the convolute spring 13 may "be connectedin any suitable way to a stationary part. It is preferably connected tothe supporting member 7, and so that rotation of the segment 1 tofurther distort the spring will be resiliently resisted by the spring inthemaiiher well known in the art. In order that the stud 14: may berigidly connected, not only to the balancing spring but also to thesegment to securely retain it in rotative position, the edges of thethimble-like stud are provided with fourv projecting tongues 16, thatmay be inserted through slots 17 located in the disc 12, and slots 18located in the segment 1. The slots 17 and 13 have a cross-sectionalarea substantially the same as that of the tongues 16, and so that thetongues will tightly fit within the slots when they are insertedtherein. When the con-- nection is made the tongues are inserted in theslots and the ends of the tongues are split as shown in Fig. 2, so as tocause the outer end portions of the tongues to spread and thus rigidlyengage not only the disc 12 but particularly the portions of the segment1 located at the ends of the slots 18 The inner end portion 19 of theconvolute spring is inserted through the slots 15 to engage the stud.The outer end portion 20 is connected to a stationary part of thestructure such as the depending supporting member 7. This is done afterthe spring has been bent to sustain at all times the weight, or amaterial part of the Weight of the window, in the manner well known inthe art. In the form of spring shown. the outer end portion 20 is bentsemi-circularly to form a hook, whereby engagement may be easily madewith the supporting member'7. In order to provide a rigid anchor for thefixed end of the spring, the lower end of the supporting member 7 may beprovided with a flange 21, preferably curved to conforn'i to 'thesegment of the cylinder having an axis that extends through the centerof rotation of the segment, and recesses 22 am formed in the flange. Thehooked end of the spring 13 may be located in any one of the recessesaccording to the degree that it is desired to distort the spring fromits normal form. The plurality of engaging points for the outer end ofthe-convolute spring provides a means for adjusting the yieldingresistance, and consequently the counterbalanclng effect of the spring.The flange 21 is provided with a bead 23, whereby the flange is greatlyreinforced and enables the flange to sustain the unusual pressure towhich the flange is subjected by the spring. The constructions of thespring 13, the stud 14, and the anchoring flange 21. are such that thespring may be readily positioned so as to resiliently sustain the arm 2as against right hand rotation. or in position such that it mayresiliently sustain the arm 2 as against left hand rotation, andadjust-- ment made in either case.

I. claim 1. In a window regulating mechanism, a support, a windowactuating member in close juxtaposition to the support, an integralportion of said member protruding into one side of said support therebypivotally to connect the member thereto, and a plate engaging the endportion of said protruding portion on the opposite side of the support;

2. In a window regulatingmechanism, a sheet metal support, an inwardlyextending annular flange on said support, a sheet metal toothed sectorfor actuating the window, an inwardly depressed annular portion on saidsector protruding into. said support and bearing against said flange,and a disc connected to the end of the protruding portion and engagingthe support thereby pivotally to connect the sector thereto.

3. A window regulating mechanism, consisting of a self-contained unitcomprising a sheet metal support, a sheet metal window actuating memberin close juxtaposition to said support, a pivot member secured to saidwindow actuating member and projecting through said support, a retainingmember fixed to said pivot member and bearing against said supportthereby to hold said actuating member against lateral displacementrelatively to said support and a convolute spring on said Support fixedat one end to said pivot member and at the other end to said support,said support having a plurality of abutments to receive the end of saidspring whereby adjustment thereof may be effected.

l. I11 a window regulating mechanism, a support, a pivoted member on oneside of said support for sustaining and raising the window, a sheetmetal cupshaped stud on the opposite side of said support and extendingtherethru, integral tongues on said stud engaging said pivoted member,said stud engaging said support and providing a journal for said pivotedmember, said stud having slots, and a convolute spring having one endportion located in the'slots and the other end portion connected to thesupport.

5. In a window regulating mechanism, a pivoted member for sustaining andraising the window, a support for the member, a stud connectedto themember, a convolute spring having one end connected to the stud, thesupport having a flange, the flange having recesses located in spacedrelation and the remaining end portion of the convolute spring adaptedto engage any one of the edges of the recesses for adjusting thetorsional resistance of the spring.

(5. In a window regulating mechanism, a sheet metal member forsustaining and raising the window, a sheet metal support for the member,the member having a raised cylindrical portion protruding into thesupport for pivotally connecting the member to the support, a disc, athimble having tongues for connecting the disc to the said portion, forsecuring the member in rotating position on the support. and connectingthe thimble to the member, a convolute spring connected to the thimbleand to the support.

7. In a window regulating mechanism, a sheet metal member for sustainingand raising the window, a sheet metal-support for the member and havinga raised central portion, the member having a depressed circular portionand a cylindricalportion pro truding into the support for forminghearing surfaces, a disc, a thimble having tongues for connecting thedisc to the said cylindrical portion, for securing the member inrotating position on the support and connecting the thimble to themember, the support having a flange, the flange having a plurality ofopenings, a convolute spring connected to the thimble and to the .flangein any one of the said openings.

8. In a window regulating mechanism, a channelled sheet metal support, asheet metal sect-or in close juxtaposition to one side of said support,a retaining member connected to said sector on the opposite side of saidsupport thereby to hold said sector against lateral displacement, and aspring in the channel of said support connected to be tensioned bymovement of said sector in one direction, the outer surface of saidspring being substantially fiush with the outer surface of said support.

9. In a window regulating mechanism, a support, a bracket secured tosaid support, a pivot stud journaled intermediate its ends in thebracket, a gear on said stud in close juxtaposition to the side of thebracket opposed .to the support, and a counter-balance spring on saidstud on the opposite side of said bracket, and disposed in the plane ofsaid support.

10. In a window regulating mechanism, a support, a bracket secured tosaid support with the lower portion of the bracket extending beyond theedge ofsaid support, a pivot studprojecting through the outer end ofsaid bracket, a gear on said stud in close juxtaposition to the side ofthe bracket opposed to the support, a counterbalance spring of said studon the opposite side of said bracket and disposed within the plane ofsaid support, and a flange on the outer end of said bracket having anabutment forming an anchor for said spring.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name to thisspecification.

ANGELO ROBERT CLAS.

